Last year I wrote a post for East Coast by Choice about my first experience in holiday gifting magic let-down. And last weekend I felt those same feelings again when I hung around the suburbian mall waiting for my daughter who was attending a Build-a-Bear birthday party. The crowds were insane. There were plenty of people pushing past eachother laden with packages and bags or pushing shopping carts overflowing with bags of goods.

It made me sad.

Where is the magic?

I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite. I mean – I own a retail store; I want and need people to buy. And I am a parent whose older child is very much understanding the whole “ask Santa for stuff and you get that stuff” concept. And I like gifts – giving and receiving. (See? Hypocrite.)

I feel strongly though that the magic is not in quantity. The magic is in gifting something someone will love or that you love and want to share. The magic is in a gift that says “I am not generic. I am special”. The magic is putting a bit of yourself into it – a handmade tag or note, sending along your favorite tea with that mug or your famous homemade granola with that bowl. The magic is in wrapping your gifts in your kids drawings or in your leftover fabric or yarn scraps.

To me, artisan handmade is magical. And I believe the same is true for those of you reading this blog. But if you are needing some reasons to buy handmade, here are 101 (via Poppytalk).

One response to “Handmade for the Holidays”

I could have written your entire post-you’ve voiced exactly how I feel about the holidays. It is just too much. This year, I’ve tried to make a few gifts, my girls asked me for something handmade, and I’ve been making my own cards for 5 years now. And the people who receive them all say the same thing- I recycle the other cards, but I keep your handmade ones. Everyone loves receive something that was handmade, it makes you feel special and loved!